View full sizeBOB ELLIS/Oregonian/2005Milwaukie officials invited the McMenamin brothers to consider converting the rustic-style 1938 building on the site into a brewpub.

MILWAUKIE – City officials will present plans Tuesday to acquire eight acres of industrial land along the Portland-Milwaukie light-rail corridor for a proposed Single-A minor league baseball stadium.

The city's economic development director has been working with an architect, a former PGE Park official and others on a public-private partnership to convert a state-owned maintenance yard on McLoughlin Boulevard into a 4,000-seat ballpark. The site includes a 1938 building in the National Park Service rustic style that the city invited the McMenamin brothers to inspect as a possible brewpub.

Because the site is owned by the Oregon Department of Transportation, the city receives no property or business tax revenue from the location.

City officials say converting the property to a ballpark would stimulate the local economy by bringing thousands of people into Milwaukie for 38 home games a year. "What the town lacks is people coming in and putting their dollars in businesses," Councilman Dave Hedges said.

City officials estimate the total cost of the project at $20 million to $30 million, which they say would be raised from a mix of public and private sources without raising local taxes.

The Ankrom Moisan architecture firm drew up a plan for a 4,000-seat stadium, plus sky boxes, a first step in what Hedges sees as building the "best minor league baseball stadium in America." Project Manager Kenny Asher the McMenamin brothers visited the property and were "really interested" in the historic transportation building as a potential addition to their chain of brewpubs.

Asher said state transportation officials are open to selling the land but first need to find a replacement site. A sliver of the land will be sold to TriMet because the Portland-Milwaukie light rail line will run behind the field on its way to Milwaukie's Lake Road station.

The stadium would be about a five minute walk -- about a quarter mile -- from the Tacoma station in Portland, and a half mile from downtown Milwaukie.

Under the best-case scenario, a team could be playing in Milwaukie by 2014, while light rail is still under construction.

Asher said he doesn't see the initial lack of Max service as too big a problem, given existing bus service and city plans for 866 parking spaces, including shared light-rail lots. "We're talking about two seasons (without light-rail service) if these timelines hold," Asher said. "It's not like it's an inaccessible site today."

The city is depending on Mike Higgins, former senior vice president of Portland's PGE Park, to line up a franchise from the Northwest League, which has teams in Salem, Eugene, Spokane, Boise, Everett, Yakima, the Tri-Cities and Vancouver, B.C.

Asher said Higgins is already in discussions with team owners. Higgins did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Ankrom Moisan architecture firm created a design for the site that includes a ballpark, stadium seating for 4,000, on-site parking and a brewpub.

With Higgins' help, the city hopes to have an owner ready to announce once the Milwaukie formally commits to a stadium. Asher said the 2010 departure of the Portland Beavers Triple-A team, which moved to Tucson, has made the Portland area more attractive to the owners of Single A teams.

Milwaukie officials have also been keeping an eye on Vancouver's attempt to lure the Yakima Bears, although they don't see that as a conflict.

"Clark County is far enough away from Milwaukie that we're not competing for the same fanbase," Asher said. "But it will set up for a really nice rivalry if we can pull both deals off."

Asher said it is too early in negotiations to know who will own the land and stadium and who will operate the venue. City councilors don't want to raise taxes to pay for construction but haven't decided how to raise the money otherwise. The franchise owner would be expected to contribute, and city officials have already set up meetings with investors. Hedges said he would want the city to use a voter-approved general obligation bond, so the council knows it has the public's support.

The Milwaukie City Council will hear an update on the proposal Tuesday. City officials then plan to meet Aug. 8 with Portland Mayor Sam Adams, to see how the larger city might help with financing or otherwise get involved.

Over the next few months, proponents of the ballpark also will meet with neighborhood associations and others to build community support.

"This isn't going to be a council and staff driven thing," Hedges said. "It's going to be a citizen-driven thing."